Rosebush Guilty in Saginaw Township Police Shooting

A Saginaw County jury took about two hours to deliver a guilty verdict for 30-year-old Joshua Rosebush Friday. Rosebush, a parolee from Vassar, was on trial for shooting Saginaw Township Police Officer Jeff Koenig in the jaw and shoulder during a traffic stop in January. He was found guilty of 26 felony counts stemming from the shooting, including assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, multiple weapons charges and three counts of unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle.

Koenig was the first witness to testify during the trial, telling the jury that after he approached the vehicle Rosebush as driving,  Rosebush said “night, night” before shooting Koenig and driving off.

Investigators later learned Rosebush had been driving a stolen truck when he was pulled over, and stole two other vehicles in his attempt to escape. He was arrested in  Shiawassee County, and shot by a deputy while resisting. Rosebush confessed to shooting Koenig while awaiting trial.

Following the verdict, Saginaw County Prosecuting Attorney John McColgan said, “We thank the jury for their service, we thank the Lord for not allowing Officer Koenig to be killed, and we thank the community for their support of our beloved law enforcement officers.”

A sentencing date was not immediately set, but Rosebush could get a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole.